Dispensing apparatus



7 July 27,1943.

G. A. BLAKE 2,325,363

DISPENSING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 16, 1941 Patented July 27, 1943'msm'NsiN mmes.' George A. Blake, New-Bedfdrd; Mass.

Application October 16,1941, Serial No; 415,322

2 Claims. (01

This invention relates to package dispensing apparatus, and moreparticularly to an improvement upon the type of dispensing devicedescribed and claimed in my United States Patent No. 2,163,081, wherebysuch devices are adapted to be disposed one above another in a verticalseries or stack, means being provided for guiding packages dispensedfrom any device of the'series, and

retarding the rate of fall of such packages, .in

order that they will be deposited, without injury, upon the counter orother support on which the series of devices is stacked.-

It is the general object of the present invention to provide dispensingapparatus of the type in question, and of simple, rugged and economicalconstruction, adapted to dispense all manner of articles commonly packedin small packages, such as cigarettes, matches, chewing gum, candies-andthe like. More specifically, it is an object of the invention to providea dispensing device, adapted to serve as one member of a stack orvertical series, and having associated therewith means providing aninclined'surface for initially -receiving a package ejected from thedelivery orilice of the device, and means providing a secondinclinedsurface adapted to receive the package from said first surfaceand to direct it toward a third inclined surface associated with thenext lower device in the stack.

Other and further objects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will be apparent to one skilled in the art from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side View, partly in elevation and partly in section, of astack of dispensing devices according to the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view of one of the dispensing devices; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the guiding bailles associatedwith the dispensing devices according to the invention.

In order to facilitate an understanding of the invention, reference ismade to the embodiment thereof shown inthe accompanying drawing anddetailed descriptive language is employed. It will nevertheless 'beunderstood that no limitation of the invention is thereby intended andthat various changes and alterations are contemplated such as wouldordinarily ocurto one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

Referring to Figure 1, the numeral Ill represents a store counter orother support upon Which rests a vertical series or stack of individualdispensing devices ll, l2, and 13. The stack may consist of two or moredevices, up to the greatest number which may conveniently be manipulatedby the storekeeper or attendant behind the counter, the number ofdevices usually being dependent upon the variety of articles to bedispensed and the Vertical dimensions of the individual devices.

The dispensing devices may and preferably will correspond generally withthat illustrated and described in my aforesaid prior patent, but it willbe understood that any suitable dispensing mechanism, manually orotherwise operated, may be employed. Thedispensing device illustrated inthe present embodiment comprises generally a receptacle or chute l4adapted to receive a stack of packages l5 to be dispensed, an ejector l6for supporting the stack of packages I5 and for ejecting the lowermostpackage when actuated by means of the pivoted lever ll.

The lower portion of the front panel iii of the dispenser is providedwith a delivery orifice l9 and, beneath the latter, is formed to providea downwardly and outwardly inclined delivery surface 20, which initiallyreceives the packages ejected through the orifice l9. In the case of thelowermost dispenser I I, the packages l5 passing down the surface 28 aredeposited upon the counterlfl.

Each of the upper dispensers I2 and i3 carries a bafile member 2|, seenin perspective in Figure '3', which comprises a pair ;of lateralextensions .24 is displaced downwardly of the delivery surface 20, andin such a position as to receive and retard the rate of travel of apackage falling from the latter.

Due to the rearward inclination of the portion 24, a package receivedthereon will be discharged with a component of motion in the directionof the front of the next lower dispenser, and will thus fall onto thedelivery surface 20 of the said dispenser, whence it will pass to thebafile member 2| associated with that dispenser, and so on,

until it reaches the counter l0.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present inventionprovides means whereby a plurality of dispensers may conveniently bestacked one upon another, while at the same time articles ejected fromthe upper dispensers are guided downwardly past the several devices anddeposited relatively gently upon the ultimate receiving surface. I

Having thus described the invention; what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is: I

1. In combination, a plurality of package dispensing devices arranged ina vertical series, each said dispensing device having a delivery orificeand amember disposed. below said orifice and providing an outwardly anddownwardly extending delivery'surface, and a baffle member associatedwith each said device above the lowermost, each said baflle memberhaving an inclined surface adapted to receive a package. from the pairbeing adapted to direct packages toward the said delivery surface of theassociated device and next lower initial receiving surface whereby theoperation is repeated.

GEORGE A. BLAKE.

